Joy Taylor reacts to Molly Qerim leaving First Take: ‘It’s not an easy job’

As ESPN and Stephen A. Smith take their time in replacing Molly Qerim on First Take, Joy Taylor knows she left a big void to fill.

Taylor recently joined The Bootleg Kev Podcast where she was asked about Qerim’s abrupt departure from ESPN. And while Taylor said she has no insight on Qerim’s exit or future, she did have a lot of nice things to say about the now former First Take moderator, recognizing how difficult the task was.

“She’s great, she’s done such a great job on that show. And having done that job, having been a moderator… it is not an easy job,” Taylor said.

Taylor was the moderator for Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe when Undisputed launched on FS1 in 2016. She filled the role for two years before moving to The Herd and Speak, as compared to the decade Qerim spent with Smith on First Take.

“It requires a lot of emotional intelligence, I will say, on top of being a great broadcaster and understanding the nuance of the business,” Taylor continued. “She’s just so good at that. I hate to see her go off that show because she’s invaluable to how that works. I’m really interested to see who they replace her with, but she’s one of the best in the business. Whatever she does next, she’s gonna do a great job at. But I hate to see her go because she’s just so good at it.”

And while we don’t know what Molly Qerim will do next, Joy Taylor did acknowledge there have been people suggesting they should do a podcast together. Currently, Taylor hosts Two Personal, where she’s been very forthright and outspoken. Qerim has typically been more reserved with her personal life, but maybe a tell-all platform would be more appealing away from ESPN. Or maybe their podcast wouldn’t have to be a tell-all. Qerim and Taylor could always trade old war stories from working with Skip, Shannon and Stephen A. Smith.

But even if their professional paths don’t end up crossing, Joy Taylor is right, ESPN has their work cut out for them in replacing Molly Qerim. She developed a chemistry with Smith in their 10 years together that will be tough to replicate. And Qerim’s ability to keep the show in check while still finding spots to interject her own thoughts was exceptional. ESPN will eventually find settle on someone to be First Take’s permanent moderator, but the show will remain different without Qerim.